Come listen to living prophets Oct 5 & 6

"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7).

What if Moses, Noah, Abraham, or Peter were on the earth, today?  How much would I want to hear what they have to say?  God, our Heavenly Father, has called prophets and apostles to lead and guide His children on the earth, today.

I invite you to, "Come and see" (John 1:38-42) what God's living prophets are teaching.

You can watch live on

Sat, Oct 5 at 9am, 1pm, and 5pm (Pacific) and

Sun, Oct 6 at 9am and 1pm (Pacific).

What's the only thing we can give to God He doesn't already own?

Our will.  How will we give it?  Watch this address by the late Elder Neal A. Maxwell to find out how we can.

To "go no more out": A textual analysis of a catchy prhase from the Book of Mormon

This morning, I was reading in 3 Nephi 28 and came across the concluding verse, 40, where prophet-historian Mormon describes the translated status of the "Three Nephites," who are previously discussed throughout the chapter:

And in this [translated] state they were to remain until the judgment day of Christ; and at that day they were to receive a greater change, and to be received into the kingdom of the Father to go no more out, but to dwell with God eternally in the heavens.  3 Nephi 28:40

Occasionally, I read certain phrases in the Book of Mormon that really stick with me, like "the way of all the earth," which is used twice in the Old Testament, five times in the Book of Mormon, is preceded in each instance by some form of the verb "go," and refers to upcoming physical death.  Consider this death-bed rejoinder from Lehi to his wayward sons in 2 Nephi 1, for example:

Awake! and arise from the dust, and hear the words of a trembling parent, whose limbs ye must soon lay down in the cold and silent grave, from whence no traveler can return; a few more days and I go the way of all the earth.  2 Nephi 1:14

Returning to what I read this morning, I seemed to remember hearing and reading, on occasion, the first bolded phrase:  "go no more out."  It's another one of those phrases I smile about and like to throw out, myself, every now and again.  For example, perhaps after a long day I've quipped to my wife, "Honey, I'm heading home, to go no more out."

So what does the phrase mean and why am I writing about it, other than because I think it sounds cool?  Well, as with "[going] the way of all the earth," I'm convinced the phrase has a set meaning and context and gives strong circumstantial evidence of the Book of Mormon's veracity.  First, as "going the way of all the earth" is invariably associated with an impending departure from mortality (which all men and creatures experience -- "all the earth"), I believe "to go no more out" subtly refers to our pre-mortal existence with God (or Heavenly Father) and that, once reunited with Him, those who receive this gift of permanent or eternal reunion, which is "the greatest of all the gifts of God," will forever retain it, always remain with Him, never leave Him, or "go no more out" from His presence, again (as we did by coming here, to earth).

When and how is the phrase "go no more out" used in the Scriptures?  It is found five times in the Book of Mormon and only twice in the Bible, once in the Old Testament (as a brief reference to war), and once in the New Testament.  In Revelation, John writes the following about overcoming sins, trials, etc. and then living with God:

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.  Revelation 3:12

Visual of scenes from the book of Revelation.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or "Mormons") often refer to the temple as "God's house" or dwelling, such as is indicated on Latter-day Saint temples, "Holiness to the LORD, the House of the LORD" and referenced by the Lord, Himself:  "And [He] said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house [the Jerusalem temple] an house of merchandise."  John 2:16

The temple - a recurring symbol of God's "house" and "kingdom."

A closer look at a representation of the inscription, shown in the temple picture, above.

Members of the Church and, I believe I can accurately state, believers in a Muslim-Judeo-Christian God everywhere, all refer to him as "King."  Where does a king dwell but in his house (or castle)?  Thus, the temple (which John references in Revelation) or house of God is an appropriate symbol for His dwelling, castle, and kingdom.  Unsurprisingly, the phrase "go no more out," as employed in the five distinct instances in the Book of Mormon, is always connected with God's "kingdom," which is also, as discussed, where he lives and dwells.  (Use this link for a quick overview of the five verses.)  Thus, once we return to live with God, if eligible, we will then, again, live with Him forever or "eternally," to "go no more out," as we did upon leaving His presence to come to earth.

Finally, as I set out previously (and as I have made similar submissions, in the past), I view this textual and substantive correlation to Revelation, the unique nature and consistency of the phrase, its invariable meaning (as I interpret it), and its scattering throughout the Book of Mormon as strong circumstantial evidence Joseph Smith translated a book of Scripture, revealed by God, rather than fabricating the work out of whole cloth.  The phrase "go no more out" is used twice by Alma, once by Amulek, and twice by Mormon, all sprinkled across 237 pages of text (pg. 226 - 463 in my hard copy of the Book of Mormon).

The plates of the Book of Mormon and other objects Joseph Smith found with them.

Many reject Joseph Smith's story of receiving and translating the Book of Mormon as too fantastical or whimsical.  They insist he or someone else authored the book and that his claims of receiving plates of gold, containing the scriptures he translated, are raving or, worse, fraudulent.  Given my experience of the Book of Mormon's power and immense textual richness, I conclude, by echoing the words of Elder Jeffery R. Holland (a modern-day Apostle):  "[T]hat any writer—Joseph Smith or anyone else—could create the Book of Mormon out of whole cloth would be an infinitely greater miracle than that young Joseph translated it from an ancient record ‘by the gift and power of God.’”  Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1997), 349.  (I also highly recommend these two talks (or sermons) by Elder Holland, relating to the Book of Mormon:  Safety for the Soul and My Words Never Cease.)

Let me add my personal witness that the Book of Mormon is true.  Beyond mere neat or intriguing textual richness, I have received a witness of its truthfulness by the power of the Holy Spirit and know it is the word of God.  My ultimate purpose for writing this post is to inform you that you, also, can know this truth for yourself (see Moroni 10:3-5).

Today's Spiritual Message: Prophets and Apostles

There are prophets and apostles, again, on the earth, today.  Think of it:  Men like Moses, Noah, and Abraham.

I invite you to learn what they taught last Saturday and Sunday at the semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Read, watch, listen to, or download their messages at gc.lds.org.

Here is what the chief prophet and apostle, President of the Church Thomas S. Monson had to say, during his principal message (almost like a keynote):



"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7).

War in the Book of Mormon

Recently, I've been reading from the "war chapters," found in the book of Alma in the Book of Mormon.

Read about Moroni and the "title of liberty" he raised:
"In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children"

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we witness that "[the Book of Mormon] does not merely claim to be a moral treatise or theological commentary or collection of insightful writings. It claims to be the word of God—every sentence, every verse, every page."

If every part of this book claims to be the word of God, why is there so much discussion of war, in general and, occasionally, certain wars, in particular?  I did some research, this morning, and found an article from Richard Dilworth Rust, addressing the topic.  Here is an excerpt:

Who will fight the battles for the "true worshipers of Christ"? Ultimately, God: "I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever" (2 Nephi 29:14).
What, then, does the Book of Mormon do concerning this latter-day warfare? It shows the fundamental nature of the battle and gives hope to the Lord's people. With accounts of the victories of small minorities against overwhelming odds (often with no lives of the righteous being lost) or of escapes from their enemies (as with the people of Lehi, Nephi, Mosiah, Alma the elder, and Limhi), it confirms the truth . . ., "God will provide strength for the righteous and the means of escape."

I strongly suggest you read the full article (pretty quick read, maybe 5-10 minutes). I think you'll really enjoy it.

Let me add some likely duplicative insights of my own:  Rarely does the Book of Mormon give a blow-by-blow description of things such as army formations or granular tactics in battles or wars.  Instead, they are almost always spoken of in generalities and illustrate the power of God in delivering His people.  As the book's first prophet-writer explained of his own purpose in writing, "I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance."  1 Nephi 1:20.  I believe the prophet-historian-abridger Mormon and other writers often illustrate this concept and promise in the Book of Mormon through examples of war.

Let me conclude by adding my witness that the Book of Mormon is what it claims to be.  It is the word of God, "every sentence, every verse, every page."  I know this is true because I have received confirmation of it from the quiet assurances of the Holy Spirit, and so can all who sincerely ask.

Yesterday's Spiritual Message: What the Prophet Said

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka Mormons), there are many prophets and apostles.  On the other hand, there is only one president, like Peter, who is authorized to exercise all authority delegated to man.  The name of this president is Thomas S. Monson, and he gave his principal address ("talk"), yesterday, morning.  I hope you enjoy it.

To watch or listen to any message given during the five sessions of General Conference over the weekend, please visit this link (text will be available Thursday).

Today's Spiritual Message: Mormonism 101 from a modern Apostle of Jesus Christ

A brief introduction to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from one of its modern-day apostles, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.



Please see http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/harvard-hosts-mormon-apostle for more.

Cross-posted on my Goolge+ account:  https://plus.google.com/110524638589641892271/posts/3oheH5GsciR

Today's Spiritual Message: Come Listen to Living Prophets

In the book of John, Philip informs his friend Nathanael he's found the Messiah.  Nathanael responds, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see"  John 1:45-46.

In our times, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaim the Savior has established His Church on the earth, again, with prophets at its head.  Some might respond similarly to Nathanael, "Prophets in our day?"  Like Philip of old, we invite you, "Come and see."

Today's Spiritual Message: Power of God

Today's spiritual message centers on the priesthood and follows the life of a young man at around age 12 (when he receives the priesthood) up until shortly before his death.  I'm very impressed with the message and the cinematography (3D images?).

Sunday's Spiritual Message: Men’s Hearts Shall Fail Them

"And all things shall be in commotion; and surely, men’s hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people" (Doctrine & Covenants 88:91).

HAPPY 500TH POST! Today's Spiritual Message: Things as They Really Are

"Time flies on wings of lightning, we cannot call it back."  I've written on this subject a few times and it's still something I greatly struggle with -- and I lived two years on a rigid schedule, absent TV, email, friends, dating etc., waking up early and going to bed by 10:30.

As I imagine some of you might also be having similar struggles with prioritizing your time, I'm confident you'll enjoy this brief video, incorporating words from Elder David A. Bednar, as well as the full video of Elder Ian S. Ardern's recent general conference talk, A Time to Prepare.

SEO & The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

On a daily basis, I try to follow the Savior's admonition to, "Search the scriptures" (John 5:39).  Recently, I've coupled my study of the Book of Mormon with study of the New Testament.  In supplementing my reading, I often use study guides, published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because they incorporate explanations and insights shared by modern prophets and apostles.

This morning, when I went to pull up the pdf URL of the New Testament manual I use, I accidentally ended up on google.com.  (Using Chrome, I can search Google straight from my address bar.)  Apparently, Chrome thought I had typed in New Testament as a Google search.  What was the second result for New Testament (coming only after the source of all knowledge, Wikipedia)?

Try Googling "New Testament" and see what you find.

Curious, I did a brief search on the subject of the LDS Church and SEO, and I found this article from Daily Mail in the UK.  It turns out there are a number of Google searches that will yield a page from the Church in the top ten results, including friend, ensign (which comes in at #1), new era, old testament, etc.

Maybe the F-Word can enlighten us with a conspiracy theory discussion, here.

In the view of many Latter-day Saints, including myself, this result will hardly be surprising, as we were commanded by the Savior to, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations" (Matt. 28:19-20).

Using the Internet as a tool to spread the glorious message that the Jesus is the Christ, and that He has restored His Church on the earth, today, is a method frequently encouraged by the Master's prophets and apostles.  Messages from Elder M. Russell Ballard and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf are just two examples that come to mind.  Said President Uchtdorf, "My dear young friends, perhaps the Lord’s encouragement to 'open [your] mouths' (D&C 60:2) might today include 'use your hands' to blog and text message the gospel to all the world!"

Indeed, I firmly believe the principal reason the Lord has inspired men to create modern marvels such as the Internet and social media is to spread His message that His Church is on the earth, again, today, and "that God is, not was; that He speaketh, not spake"  (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, quoting a challenge from Ralph Waldo Emmerson to Harvard Divinity School students in 1838).

I add my witness, once again, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that He has restored His Church to the earth, again, today, even the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  While some might call this declaration "bold" and feel disconcerted to hear it, many were also taken aback when the Savior, Himself, proclaimed His own divinity (see John 6:25-62, particularly 60-62).

Rather than take my word that these things are true, I invite you to visit mormon.org, search, ponder, and ask our Heavenly Father for yourself.  I promise you that if you will "ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, [the Eternal Father] will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.  And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things" (see Moroni 10:3-5, which refers specifically to the Book of Mormon).

(Yesterday's) Spiritual Message: What Did Heavenly Father's Prophets and Apostles Say, Last Week?

Last week, I mentioned that prophets and apostles, called of God (our Heavenly Father), would be speaking to all the world.

Here is one of the messages the chief prophet and apostle (the equivalent of a modern Peter, Moses, Noah, Abraham, etc.), President Thomas S. Monson, shared with us all, entitled Stand in Holy Places:



In addition to President Monson, the Church is also guided and directed by other prophets and apostles (15, including President Monson) and seventys, as described by Paul in Ephesians 4:11-14 and called by the Savior, Himself, as recorded in Luke 10:1 (seventys) and Luke 6:12-13 (apostles).  An overview of who the principal leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are can be found here.

The messages given by all the prophets, apostles, seventys, and other Church leaders can be read, listened to, watched, and downloaded, here.

As always, I'd love to answer any questions, or you can certainly visit mormon.org and search for yourself.

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

The Lord's prophets and apostles speak, today at 12pm and 4pm eastern.  I invite you to watch and listen:  http://lds.org/general-conference/watch?lang=eng